 Allegiant Stadium, the site of the game, in 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 18, 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Stadium | Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Raiders by 1.5[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Ronald Torbert | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 62,273 | ||||||||||||||||||
| TV in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Fox | |||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma and Shannon Spake | ||||||||||||||||||
On December 18, 2022, the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL), who were playing the Las Vegas Raiders, attempted a lateral pass play at the end of regulation with the score tied at 24–24. However, the play failed as Raiders defender Chandler Jones intercepted the Patriots' second lateral pass and ran the ball in for a walk-off touchdown.
The play has been referred to as the Lunatic Lateral, the Las Vegas Lateral, Col-lateral Damage, the Hail Moron, the Vagary in Vegas, the Sin City Miracle, and the Flick Six by various media outlets.[2][3][4][5][6][7] The play quickly became notable due to its unusual result and circumstances and having taken place just over four years after the Miracle in Miami, a successful lateral play (which the Patriots coincidentally also lost), though this play resulted in the opposite outcome. Several analysts criticized the team for attempting the play, which is normally attempted only when the team is trailing in the final seconds of a game and not with the game tied and have considered it one of the worst in NFL history. In addition, the blunder stood in stark contrast to the Patriots' success and disciplined play during the Brady–Belichick era, becoming emblematic of the team's decline since quarterback Tom Brady left New England after 2019.
- ^ "New England Patriots at Las Vegas Raiders - December 18th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ "Col-lateral damage: Patriots lose to Raiders on stunning play". Lowell Sun. December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- ^ Whitt, Richie (December 20, 2022). "Lunatic Lateral: Where Does Patriots' Play Rank Among Dumbest in NFL History?". Sports Illustrated New England Patriots News, Analysis and More. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- ^ Can't-Miss Play: The Vagary in Vegas! Chandler Jones scores walk-off TD on Meyers' lateral gone wrong (Video). NFL.com. December 18, 2022.
- ^ Sin City Miracle: Raiders break tie with last-play defensive touchdown to stun Patriots 30-24 (Video). Pro Football Talk. December 18, 2022.
- ^ "Raiders radio call invokes Hanukkah miracle after improbable win over Patriots (Video)". MSN. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- ^ Chris Long on How Belichick Might Deal with 'Hail Moron' Aftermath. The Rich Eisen Show (Video). December 20, 2022.